Robotic Friendship
by Lily Of the Sword
Summary: In this Transformers Prime fanfiction, the Autobots get a super virus on their computer system. Raf's oldest sister is brought in due to certain circumstances and eventually gains an interesting friendship with the Decepticon known as Soundwave.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Jack, Miko, and Raf sat on the couch playing video games in the Autobot base. Ratchet was the only bot to be found. The others had left via ground bridge while Jack distracted Miko. They left Ratchet to babysit and activate the ground bridge as usual. He kept himself busy researching and inputting data on the synthetic Energon formula. It helped him to ignore the humans.

All seemed to be well minus Miko's perpetual pouting about not being able to follow Bulkhead. Ratchet was in the middle of modifying the formula when an error message popped up on one of the screens. Then, one after another were coming up, each making an obnoxious beep. In seconds, all the screens were covered. Ratchet worked frantically to fix it all but it just ended up with him slamming his fist in frustration at the wall.

"Ratchet, are you OK?"

It was Raf. He had left the couch to see what the noise was all about. Ratchet turned back to the computers. "It's these infernal machines! Human technology is just so... Primitive..."

"Would you like any help?"

"No!"

Ratchet looked around to see if the other two humans were paying attention. Jack and Miko were too busy playing some fighting game. He leaned over to Raf and quietly asked, "Do you think you can fix it?"

"It's possible. Let me take a look."

Raf pulled out the laptop from his backpack and hooked it up to the system. He took a seat on the floor and started typing. Ratchet watched him intensely hoping to return to his research soon. Raf's forehead scrunched up as he accelerated his typing. "This is not good."

"What? What's not good?"

"Well, it's a computer virus. Normally I can fix these but I've never seen anything like this. It is obvious that someone hacked into the system and planted it though. The best I can do is quarantine it temporarily."

"Why only temporarily?"

"I don't know how to stop it. It'll eventually eat through any firewall code I use."

Raf was eventually able to quarantine the virus but knew someone else had to be brought in. When Optimus and the others returned, Ratchet told them of the problem. It was decided that Agent Fowler needed to be informed. Fowler was surprised to hear the Autobots needed help. He called a specialist and escorted him to the base. He worked while Fowler spoke with everyone else.

"So our little computer whiz couldn't fix the issue, eh?" he chuckled. "You've always kept things working up until now."

Raf just looked away and sighed. He was good but still...

The specialist growled in frustration. Fowler returned to his side. "What's the problem, Stan?"

"I can't get rid of this thing. It just keeps growing..."

"There has to be something you can do."

"Just beef up what the kid's already done. That's it."

Optimus joined in, "So we need to salvage what we can and move it to back-up."

"But Optimus what about the rest of the data?" asked Ratchet. "The only part of the synthetic Energon research left is what we originally retrieved from Bulkhead."

"Then you will have to start over and work with the physical left over samples, Old Friend."

"We don't have that kind of time –"

"And we will lose more time if all the data is infected."

This silenced Ratchet but Raf took his place. "I know someone who might be able to fix this."

Bumblebee chimed in with his R2-D2 beeping.

"Yeah Bee. She's awesome." Raf looked back to Optimus and Fowler. "It would mean that another civilian is brought in."

The specialist laughed, "Someone who can do better than our department? Impossible. We would already have this person working for us."

"That may be, sir," Raf replied, "But she prefers to stay under the radar."

Optimus stepped forward, "Is this person someone we can trust?"

"Yes, of course."

Raf then thought to himself, "She's the only one who has never forgotten me before coming here."

"So who is this mystery girl?" Fowler asked.

"She's my oldest sister. She was the one who taught me about coding."

"Then we'll run a quick background check and make arrangements," Fowler decided.

"In the meantime, we will back up the uninfected data," Optimus said while looking over at Ratchet.

Fowler and the specialist moved to pack up their equipment when Raf approached them. "Agent Fowler? Can I ask you something?"

"Sure. What is it?"

"When everything goes through, would Bee and I be allowed to go talk to her and then bring her here?"

Fowler smiled and said, "I'll see what I can do."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The next day they received confirmation, and Bumblebee and Raf set off towards the inner section of town. Raf's sister never move too far from home. She was lucky enough to find where she could work virtually so she didn't have to leave Nevada. She lived in an apartment complex in the middle of Jasper with a couple of college friends.

Raf fell deep into thought trying to figure out how he could explain everything to her and _not_ have her think he was insane. Before he knew it, Bumblebee had pulled into the parking lot. He had to do his beep speak to bring Raf back to reality.

"Sorry, Bee. I'll go get her."

Bumblebee sounded a response.

"Yeah, she knows. I shot out an e-mail to her before school this morning. She seemed excited for the visit."

Raf climbed out of the backseat and opened the door. "Be patient. I don't know how long this will take or even if she'll come with us."

Bumblebee made a beep to show he understood. As Raf walked up to the building, Bumblebee closed his door. Raf made his way up the stairs to the second floor and knocked on the door labeled "218". A young woman answered the door. He had hoped his sister would open it. "Oh! You must be Rafael! Nikki mentioned you would be here," she said in an overly perky voice. "Come on in! I'll show you to the Igloo."

Raf stepped inside and followed her. "What's the _Igloo_?"

"Ah! Sorry! That's the computer room. She practically lives in it. It has its own air conditioning unit. She likes to keep it freezing in there."

"If there are a lot of computer, which there probably are, she'll want to make sure nothing overheats."

They reached the room. "Yeah, she said something about that..." She knocked on the door and called out, "Nikki! Your brother's here!"

They heard a chair shuffling about before the door came flying open. Raf found himself spinning around in the air. Just as suddenly, he was set back on the floor gently. "Come in! Come in, Raf!"

The one roommate stepped back in surprise. "Well I guess I'll leave you guys be." She giggled and went to the living room.

Nikki plopped down in one of the chairs as Raf stepped in closing the door behind him. She spun around in her chair excitedly. "So what's up, little brother? This is the first time you've come to visit me here."

He picked out a chair and jumped into it. "Well, there's something I need to talk to you about. It's important so don't laugh!"

She stopped moving and sat up in the chair. "Is there stuff going on at home?"

Raf leaned back and waved is hands in front of him. "No! No! It's important but not like that."

"O.K. That's good. So what is this about?"

"Umm... I have some friends, and they have this huge computer system – "

"Oooh! Is it like the ones they showed in the Tron movies?"

"Not quite like that... I guess it's more like a super computer?"

"ReBoot!"

Raf laughed and continued on, "Anyways, somehow it was hacked into. Whoever did it planted a virus and now it's eating away at the data rapid fire."

"And what did you do about it?"

"I was able to block it but that won't last."

"Did anybody else try anything?"

"Yeah but they couldn't do any more than what I did. None of us know how to delete it for good."

"Alright. I'll do it."

"You will?"

"Yep!" Nikki grinned leaning back in the chair.

"But.. But even when you don't know who owns the system?"

"A virus is a virus, and you said they were your friends. You have pretty sound judgment. What do I need to worry about?"

"Uhh... Well..."

"What?" she chuckled. "Are they aliens from outer space who can't figure out our technology?"

"Umm. You got most of it..."

"Seriously?" She raised an eyebrow. "What's the rest?"

"They're transforming robots..."

Silence filled the room. Awkwardness swam through them.

"Let me get this straight... Your friends are robots?"

"Yes."

"That transform?"

"Yes."

"And they are from another planet?"

"I think you've got it covered."

Nikki leaned forward in the chair and looked directly into Raf's eyes. If he was lying he wouldn't be able to hold the stare. He kept it every second. She leaned back and folded her arms over her chest. She thought he could either be crazy or aliens exist. She hoped it was the latter.

"Let's go," she declared while standing up.

"Really?" Raf jumped down to his feet.

"Yep. I finished my work project this morning. So. Let's go."

Raf followed Nikki out of the room and ran ahead to lead her to Bumblebee. Before they walked out, she stopped to talk to her roommate. "Don't worry about me for dinner tonight. I don't know when I will be back."

She gave Nikki a thumbs up while staring intently at the T.V. Nikki walked out with Raf and locked up the apartment. He took her to Bumblebee and opened up the door to climb into the back. "Whoa! You were driven here in a Camero?"

"Yeah," he replied matter-of-factually.

"Whose driving it?"

Raf crawled into the backseat. "Bee is. You get the passenger side."

She sat down and the door closed on its own startling her. She looked to the driver's seat. No one was there. All of a sudden, beeping and whirling noises came from the radio – the radio that was off. It stopped quickly and Raf spoke up, "Sorry, Bee. This is my sister Nikki."

She turned around and stared at Rad with wide eyes. "Did the car just speak to you?"

"Yeah."

"And you understood it?"

"Yep!"

Nikki sat back in the seat. "Wow... This car is like... The illegitimate offspring of Kit and R2-D2..."

Rad laughed as Bumblebee made more noise. When he stopped, Raf said, "Bumblebee didn't get that. He's also going to start driving now. He want you to buckle your seat belt."

Nikki did so without saying a word. She couldn't help but wonder what she was getting herself into.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Bumblebee sped through the streets with Raf chilling out in the backseat and Nikki in the front clinging tightly to the center console and door's arm rest. Never in her life had she been in a car driving like this. Bumblebee did his best to follow the humans' road laws but sometimes it was just too much fun to take the corners quickly. Nikki freaked out even more as the approached at such high speed the the rocky wall concealing the Autobot base. When she realized that apparently a door had opened and they were in a well-lit tunnel, she was able to relax ever so slightly. Bumblebee brought them into the main area of the base, turn his wheels hard to the right and skidded to a stop.

The passenger door popped open and Nikki rolled out onto the floor. Raf climbed out and crouched next to her as she rested on her back. Bumblebee transformed into his bipedal form as Ratchet walked around the corner to see what all the ruckus was about. He looked down to see the girl breathing heavily with her eyes wide from shock. "Bumblebee, what did you do?" he asked motioning to Nikki.

Bumblebee shrugged and beeped. Raf was making attempts to bring back his sister's attention back. Eventually she calmed down enough to be able to sit herself up. She stared up at Bumblebee and Ratchet in awe. They were real. Raf was right.

Raf took note of the silence and went through what would be a more proper introduction. Nikki just continued to stare. Ratchet rolled his optics and went over to the computer screens to check the transfer progress. She followed his movements and snapped back to reality when she saw the screens. Raf stood up and followed her as she picked herself up and raced up the stairs to the higher platform. "Nikki, are you sure you're O.K.?"

"Yeah, yeah! I'm fine. Are those government-issued?" she replied pointing at the monitors.

"They were left over from when this was an active government base," he answered.

Nikki stood on the part of the platform closest to Ratchet and stared at the screens for a few moments. "When was the last time these things were even update?" She was appalled. It looked as though they were still using MS-DOS as an operating system.

Ratchet turned to her, "When your government gave the base to us."

She rolled her eyes and sighed, "And _when_ was that?"

"About two years ago. Before they became our guardians," Raf answered for Ratchet.

"Guardians? Oh nevermind... So these computers have not been updated in two years?" she asked.

"That is correct," Ratchet replied. "I don't see what updating would do for such simple systems."

"By our standards, it does a lot," she smiled a Cheshire cat grin and turned back to Raf. "Can your laptop hook up to this thing?"

She never thought she would have needed to bring her own. Everything was at a much grander scale than she imagined.

"Yeah. That was how I put in the firewall."

Raf hooked his computer to the large system and let Nikki take it. She started searching through the system. After a few moments she looked up at Ratchet, "I'm going to do you a favor after I'm done."

"Oh? And what might that be?"

"I am not only going to update but _upgrade_ this. Raf's processor is decent but your system is so slow!"

Ratchet took a step back almost like he was offended but he quickly recomposed himself and retorted, "Primitive Earth technology."

Nikki stopped typing and stared at him, "If it's so primitive, so simple, then why can't an advanced race such as yourself fix this?"

Ratchet was bewildered. She made a good point. He didn't know – no. He couldn't respond.

"Do you want me to do this or should I let you handle it?" She turned back with her hands ready to type again.

He looked away sheepishly and motioned for her to continue. Nikki brought her eyes back to the laptop screen typing furiously. Bumblebee stood back near Raf by the platform trying not to chuckle in his unique way. Eventually Nikki sat down legs crossed with the computer in front of her. The silence pierced through them. Ratchet grew impatient but knew not to break the air.

Suddenly she slammed a finger on the "Enter" key. "DONE."

Raf hopped over to her and kneeled down. "You got rid of the virus?"

"Yep," she grinned.

Then Ratchet stepped in, "What about the infected files?"

Nikki looked up at him, "That's the weird part. None of the files are damaged."

"Then what in the Allspark did the virus do?"

"It made a diversion."

Raf looked curiously at his sister, "For what?"

"There was a masked program that was extracting data. The virus was meant to keep up from ever finding it," she replied.

Ratchet squinted his optics in anger, "Decepticons..."

"Who?" Nikki asked at the new bit of information.

"The enemy of us Autobots and you humans."

"Well then I guess I was right to exact a little revenge."

Ratchet glared at her, "What did you do?"

She grinned a cheeky smile, "Just sent them a taste of their own medicine. I found a code similar to an IP address and was also able to get what I would assume to be a location but it's in an odd format."

"Would you bring it up on one of these screens?" Ratchet asked pointing to a huge monitor.

"Sure," she replied typing away.

As she did Raf whispered to her, "So what _did_ you send them?"

She replied softly, "Let's just say they won't get to keep the data they got and then some."

Before Raf could ask anymore, the code appeared on a screen. It was Cybertronian and Ratchet was able to translate it as the longitude and latitude coordinates of the Decepticon warship. He then did some of his own typing to save the data. "I had better inform Optimus about the Nemesis."

Nikki perked up with curiosity, "Who and what?"

Ratchet turned to face her, "Optimus is our leader and the Nemesis is the mobile Decepticon fortress."

"Where are Optimus and the others by the way?" Raf jumped in.

"He's off on another scouting mission. As for the Arcee and Bulkead, they are waiting for Jack and Miko."

Nikki tilted her head towards Raf, "More friends I assume?"

Raf nodded and asked Ratchet, "So who do you think did all of this?"

Ratchet said as he grimly replied, "Soundwave."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The blaring music wobbled the metal structuring on board the Nemesis.

_This was a triumph._

Megatron stormed about the ship furiously searching for Soundwave.

_It's hard to overstate my satisfaction._

The Nemesis wavered in the air dangerously. Most of the major function were deteriorating.

_For the good of all of us except the ones who are dead._

Soundwave was found in the main control room. His tendrils were hooked to the computers in any way possible. Data streamlined on the screens as Megatron shouted, "What is happening here?"

The communications officer remained silent. He did not even waste a glance to his leader. Eliminating the virus was a higher priority.

_I'm not even angry._

_I'm being so sincere right now._

Such a small, simple, insignificant virus was exceedingly difficult to block and caused so much damage.

_Even though you broke my heart and killed me._

"Turn this accursed noise off!" Megatron continued to yell.

The song persisted to play. Data was disappearing before them. Soundwave kept scanning through the system. He knew if he didn't stop the virus, the Nemesis would come plummeting down to the forest below.

_Now these points of data make a beautiful line._

Megatron called for the Vehicons to repair the basic functions of the vessel. He was infuriated by the thought of losing his fortress. The battle against the Autobots would be lost. He com-linked Knockout for his assistance when areas of the ship began to overload and either shorted out or down right exploded. He came in moments later and Megatron began barking out orders for him to fix all of the breaking equipment. He nonchalantly leaned on the door frame and replied, "But, my Lord, I am a medic not an engineer."

_Maybe you'll find someone else to help you._

Megatron raised his sharp finger to Knockout's face and growled, "You dare to disobey me?"

"N-No, Lord Megatron!" he said straightening with the fear of him damaging his paint job. "I will start right away!"

Knockout turned and left to carry out the order.

_Look at me still talking when there's science to do._

Megatron moved his attention back to the silent Soundwave. His nonexistent patience was growing thin.

_When I look up there it makes me glad I'm not you._

The music volume began to decrease and Soundwave was recoiling all but one of his tendrils. He had located the virus. He was now in the process of breaking it down.

_And believe me I am still alive._

Megatron was calming down as the ship stabilized. All it could do at this point was stay afloat. There would be no traveling for quite awhile.

_While you're dying I'll be still alive._

_And when you're dead I will be still alive._

Soon it was down to a barely audible whisper.

_Still alive._

The virus was gone. Megatron stepped closer to one of the monitors. "What is the damage?"

Soundwave pointed to a screen as he brought the data up. The ship's offense and defense were completely offline. It would take more than just a little coding to fix that. What sent Megatron over the edge was the fact that a small amount of the Space Bridge schematics were missing. No one messes with his space bridge. He stormed out just when Soundwave went to open the files on the Synthetic Energon (the whole reason he attacked the Autobot system in the first place). It had been erased.

Optimus and the others returned to base. Agent Fowler arrived shortly after. Nikki explained how she fixed everything and made a slight mentioning of the little present she sent the Decepticons. Raf still wanted to know what she actually did but everyone else was more concerned with the found location of the enemy. As Ratchet was pulling up the map and the coordinates, a dot began flashing. It was right on the spot where the coordinates would have placed a little beacon.

"What did you send them?" Ratchet asked slowly turning towards Nikki.

She just smiled sweetly and said, "Like I said, a taste of their own medicine."

Optimus stepped in this time, "Nikki, we need to know what you have done in the event that Megatron launches an attack because of it."

"Prime's right. What did you do?" Fowler added in.

Sighing she answered, "They won't be able to attack anyone for quite a while."

Everyone just stared with curiosity. She rolled her eyes and continued, "Alright. I sent them back a little virus. It goes undetected for a while eating up data. It plays a song of my choosing when it is almost done deleting. They will be lucky if their fortress is still running."

Ratchet mumbled something about that explaining why their signal appeared so suddenly while Miko jumped up excitedly, "You can can totally kick some major tail pipe now! They'd be scrap!"

"It's not that simple, Miko. Though their defenses are weak, they still outnumber us. It was not be wise to start a battle," Optimus spoke calmly shaking his head.

"And that is something the Decepticons would do," Ratchet reminded them. "It would make us just as bad as them."

Then Optimus moved back to Nikki, "We appreciate your efforts to help our cause but I would be grateful if you did not send anything else to weaken them."

She pouted for a moment and nodded in agreement. What could she do against giant robots who stood in front of her in real life? Little did they know, the Decepticons would go on the offense but it wouldn't be along the lines of an epic battle sequence.

_Author Notes:_

_The song lyrics used here are from the song "Still Alive" in the first Portal Game. Both are copyright Valve. The song is merely intended for entertainment value._

_The reason I used it is because that is the actual song that played out in my dream. As already noted on my profile once before, this entire story is based off of a weird dream I had on my birthday this year. I didn't want to change this song (nor do I want to change the next one) because it fits too well._


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

A few months blew by and things, at least those concerning the Decepticons, were quiet. The Nemesis' energy signal vanished a few days after the main event. When Nikki went to find new coordinated using the IP Address she had gotten before, it was invalid. The Decepticons' position was lost.

It was during these months that Fowler gave Nikki a permanent job of Autobot IT management. She was still allowed to live with her roommates but during the day she would have to stay at the base and be on-call at night. As much as she preferred to create for herself, she gratefully accepted the position. There wasn't much room in the world for a "code artist" as she liked to call herself. But on the bright side, she would get to hand out with alien robots. Not many people can even say they have seen one, and even fewer can say they worked with these bio-technological wonders for a living.

Most of what Nikki did during the first month and a half was stay behind with Ratchet and run interference against system hiccups. When she wasn't doing that, Ratchet was helping her build a large, new system that would replace the old. Approval for this had been given two weeks or so after the virus event. All the while, she would tease Ratchet and his serious disposition. At first he tried to defend himself but learned it was no use. She did not know when to quit. She did get him to laugh a couple of times but it was nothing more than a chuckle. No matter what it did it was fuel for the fire.

During the third month, time was spent on program coding. Ratchet gave his assistance with this as well. Nikki was creating a custom virus software – one that could recognize Cybertronian. She had already altered a program that sat as a temporary shield. The coding process for the new anti-virus program was painstakingly slow. She constantly had Ratchet nearby to show her the symbol that would correspond to the English keyword she had up.

The end of the month eventually skirted by and she was close to finishing. She was typing furiously on her laptop which was connected to the main system. Suddenly, she threw her hands up and leaned back sighing loudly.

"Are you done?" Ratchet asked being the only other person in the base at the time.

Nikki just stared at him and replied, "NO."

He stared back at her for a moment before stifling a chuckle. She grinned at him, "Just taking a little break~"

She moved from her spot by the computer and plopped down on the couch closing her eyes. She loved what she did but there was still only so much she could take. Ratchet went back to his Synthen experiments and all went silent. Nikki wound up falling asleep which gave him more time to work. An hour or so passed when the alarms spontaneously blared startling him and waking Nikki. She jolted back to consciousness so quickly that she fell off the couch. She picked herself up and dashed to her laptop. A new virus was attempting to infiltrate the system. It was going after the same files as before and her basic software could not quarantine it.

She typed rapidly on the keyboard to track and catch up to the virus. This one had a different methodology than before. It didn't even try to hide itself and was releasing smaller viruses to distract her. Ratchet stood by watching her and tried to hide his concern upon seeing her serious, concentrating face. Nikki kept working on code that would tackle the little giblets and allow her to move her attention to the larger problem.

When she made it to the source virus she attacked it with whatever means were necessary. Surprisingly, it was relatively easy for her to block and delete it. She groaned loudly after finishing and started back up on her program.

"By the Allspark... What was that about?" Ratchet asked Nikki exasperatedly.

She sighed heavily, "Pretty much the same thing as before."

He was about to ask another question when he received a commlink transmission from his comrades and stepped away to activate the ground bridge. Optimus and the gang came rolling in. After transforming into their bipedal modes, they asked how everything went. Ratchet told them and Optimus turned to Nikki for details.

"I was able to save the targeted files and nothing else was touched."

"Did you..." Ratchet began to interject.

"Did I what?" she looked at him and Optimus innocently.

Optimus answered, "Did you retaliate against the Decepticons?"

"Nope," she smiled being the smartass that she is. "I agreed not to help your cause by 'weakening' them."

He looked at her strangely while Ratchet just rolled his optics. Shortly after it was time to pick up the kids. Nikki worked through their entire visit. Night fell and she packed up her gear. Bumblebee gave her a ride home where she continued programming. She finally finished it around one in the morning.

Unable to sleep, she started fiddling around on the internet but she couldn't help but remember what Optimus had said about retaliating. She wanted to get payback but she made a promise of sorts. An hour skipped by and she still wanted to mess with the Decepticons. Then, an idea popped into her head. She wasn't going to do this for the Autobots. It was for herself, her amusement, her pride. She needed to do this to show that Soundwave he couldn't mess with her. She Alt+F4'd her internet browser and went to coding her new project. She was going to devastate them. The human race, she hoped, would not be seen as insignificant for much longer.

_Author Notes:_

_If you want to know what Alt+F4 is, try it hitting the buttons on your keyboard simultaneously. The best way to learn is by participation~_


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Nikki didn't fall asleep that night. She worked through what was left of it. She had to make this virus different from the other but not so different to where the Decepticons wouldn't know who it came from. She worked until around six in the morning before realizing the time. The virus was finished and she had turned on her IP scrambler by then. At this point she was using the information from the previous attack to bring out the latest Con IP address only to find out it had been disabled… Or at least not being used at this point. She hopped around onto one of her other computers and found her more basic IP scrambler. Taking the equation used for randomizing the numbers, she tried to predict the next address. She spent the next thirty minutes searching for what did work. She knew she hacked into the right network when Cybertronian symbols started spreading all over the screen. Then she snuck in the virus and shut down the computers.

She got up slowly while stretching and stepped out of the room. She looked at the clock in the hallway. It was almost seven o'clock. Bumblebee would be there in about an hour to pick her up. Nikki jumped in the shower and cleaned up before passing out onto the couch to wait for her ride. Before she knew it, Bee was honking his horn outside with Raf sitting in the front passenger seat. She scrambled up and met with them outside. She crawled into the driver's seat so Bee didn't have activate his coliform. They dropped Raf off at the school and headed for the base where she uploaded the final program. She barely said a word to anyone except for "Hi." Just after everyone but Ratchet left for a scouting mission, Nikki crashed on the couch. Ratchet merely vented softly. He did not care that much; everything was in order so why should he?

_Well here we are again._

Sliding doors slammed shut and whizzed open wildly.

_It's always such a pleasure._

Soundwave's tendrils were spread across the room as the Nemesis shook threatening to fall once again.

_Remember when you tried to kill me twice?_

Megatron huffed around as sections of the ship exploded around him.

_Oh how we laughed and laughed, except I wasn't laughing._

Anyone in his way would be annihilated.

_Under the circumstances, I've been shockingly nice._

The Nemesis fell from above the clouds and crashed into a small valley after destroying a mountain top. Megatron lifted himself off the floor and pried open the door that hid Soundwave. He was still connected to the system but getting up slowly.

_Now I only want you gone~_

The music cut off and Soundwave pulled his tendrils back to him. Standing up straight, he and Megatron found the computers offlined. He began to work immediately on fixing them. His lord scowled and commanded, "Soundwave, find out who caused this and report back to me when you do!"

He stormed off punching a helpless Vehicon in the faceplate as he stood up from where he had fallen. Soundwave nodded as his master left and he turned to the other Vehicons who were dazed from the impact. They met his emotionless faze and jumped to help him repair the ship and its systems. The next chance he had, Soundwave would hunt down whoever sent the virus. He knew it was the same creator of the virus from before.

The rest of the day at the Autobot base was quiet. Ratchet occasionally looked over his shoulder to check on Nikki. Every time he did it was the same: she was curled up asleep on the couch. He couldn't complain. Nothing was happening. She did her job and even worked over time to finish. Plus, this gave him more time to work on the Synthen formula in peace.

Nikki woke groggily later on when the rest of the group drove in. Raf jumped out of the Camaro before it transformed and ran up the stairs to pounce on his sister. By the time he reached her, she was already sitting up but he still took her by surprise. The fall to the floor definitely woke her up. Ratchet had seen them fly off the couch when Raf tackled her and turned away to hide a smirk. Jack and Miko laughed as Miko stole the couch and Jack helped Nikki and Raf up. Nikki sat down on the floor next to the couch. Her brother sat on the edge of the couch near her while Jack was in-between him and Miko. The next couple of months would be peaceful with the Decepticons being highly preoccupied.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

A beep sounded from the computer, startling Ratchet and the humans. Bumblebee had sent out a distress signal. Ratchet commlinked him to find out what trouble he was in. He had found a Decepticon Energon mine and was surrounded by Vehicons. Ratchet contacted Optimus and used the Ground Bridge to bring him, Arcee, and Bulkehead back to base where he then sent them off together to Bumblebee's coordinates.

When he opened the Ground Bridge for the second time, Miko tried to sneak out with the Autobots eager to see the action. Jack and Raf followed after her to bring her back but failed and were trapped at the Bridge's destination. Nikki barely caught sight of her brother when it shut off. "… Ratchet!"

He turned to her frowning. "What is it now?"

"Do you **not** notice who is missing from the base?" she yelled while face palming and shaking her head.

He turned to stare at her before going back and commlinking Optimus. "You have the children following you."

Optimus and the other had no time to look because they were immediately caught in battle. Nikki sighed loudly, "Ratchet, just open the Ground Bridge and I'll drag them back."

"Absolutely not! The fewer humans on the battle ground, the better!" he yelled back.

"So you are just going to let them run about all willy nilly without their guardians knowing where they are?"

Ratchet fell silent before retorting, "Well, you don't know their location either."

"But I can at least look… If I stay close to the Ground Bridge, will you let me try?" She looked at him seriously with a hint of pleading in her eyes.

He thought for a moment and vented, "Fine. Two minutes. That's all you have. I am also not responsible for whatever may happen."

"I can live with that," she smirked with bright eyes.

He rolled his optics and shook his head, pulling down on the lever. Green and white colors echoed through the room when the Ground Bridge activated. Nikki ran into it before Ratchet had a chance to change his mind. She came into an area she had never seen before. Glowing blue crystals more the five stories tall were scattered within the cavern with various mining drills abandoned near them. She stood there in awe until a crystal next to her was shattered, the shards flying off in every direction. Startled, she looked around quickly and dove behind a boulder next to the Ground Bridge. Nikki leaned on the back of the rocky shield panting.

"S-Sis? What are you doing here?"

She looked over and there they were. All three of them were hiding from view. Miko stuck her feet in the indentations of the rock to lift herself over the top so she could watch the battle. Nikki grabbed hold of her ankle and yanked her back to the ground. "I'm here to bring you all back to the base!"

Miko groaned when her butt hit the ground. "What was that for?"

"Ugh!" Nikki growled as she forced Miko to her feet. "Just think for once! You already know!"

She looked to the boys, "Let's go back before Ratchet comes to drag us there instead."

They nodded, and Jack took Miko's arm, dragging her back to and through the Ground Bridge. Nikki ran behind Raf trying to cover their backs. She stopped short when her brother went through the Bridge. An energy blast had just barely missed her and hit the uneven flooring near her. She was thrown off to the side from the after effect, sliding into the dirt and scratching her face and arms. Scrambling to her feet, a sharp pain went through the palm of her left hand. She hissed in pain and found blood drizzling out of the sliced skin. Another blast flew by her but was nowhere near as close as before. She found the shooter to be a Vehicon who was running in her direction. He was a terrible shot.

A silhouette appeared behind him and an elongated arm shoved him aside. The faceless form walked up in long strides to her. Nikki froze up, her mind completely blank. She stared up at him, and he returned her gaze, stopping a few feet away. Suddenly, Ratchet burst through the Bridge. Upon seeing the silent Decepticon standing in front of Nikki, he activated the blades over his servo and moved forward to slash him. The figure moved to retaliate but a shot to the back interrupted him. The rest of the Autobots were running back to return to base. With the Decepticon distracted, Ratchet sheathed his blades and scooped up Nikki into his servos. He dashed back through the Bridge. Optimus and the others kept firing at the enemy but he quickly transformed into a drone jet and blasted through them, escaping in an instant. They stopped attacking and ran back to the base. Ratchet moved Nikki to one servo and used the other to shut off the Bridge.

She sat there clutching her hand still frozen and staring off into space. Raf ran to the edge of the platform to get as close as he could to Nikki. "Sis! Are you alright?"

She didn't respond. Ratchet watched her wearily and poked gently at the hand she was holding. Her eyes widened as she pulled her hands quickly to her chest whimpering in pain. Optimus took note of this and turned to Ratchet. "Contact Mrs. Darby and transport here her via Ground Bridge."

Ratchet nodded and unhurriedly stepped to the computer so as to not create too much turbulence for Nikki. "Wh-Who… Was that?" she finally spoke. She was looking up at Ratchet with wavering eyes finally aware of her surroundings.

"… That was Soundwave," he replied.

She fell silent again and looked down as she relaxed her body some knowing she was somewhere safe. Ratchet called up June Darby. Luckily, she had just gone on her lunch break. She was over in a flash. June sat down on the couch after Ratchet set Nikki on the platform. She almost didn't want to be put down but she still went over to June and quietly sat down next to her. June took her hand and cleaned it up so she could examine it better. The cut was deep but not enough to need stitches. "Hmm… What is this?" she murmured to herself.

She took a pair of tweezers from her bag and pulled a little crystal from the wound. It glowed unnoticed by everyone when she placed it in a napkin on the table. June cleaned up the cut again and wrapped it up. Nikki whispered a thank you to her. She was a little sad though. It would be a while before she could type with that hand.

Soundwave returned to the Nemesis after escaping. He immediately went back to the communications room with the intention of completing Megatron's previous ordered that had been overwritten several times since the ship dropped from the sky. He had already formed a hypothesis on the cause of the event. The human girl he had just seen was not in his memory banks. He had seen the other three before but not her. It was possible that she was the one sending retaliation viruses. But then again… How could a mere human do such things?

He checked for the IP Address that sent the last virus. The list held hundreds of numbers. Though he was unaware humans had the ability to create programs like that, he found the pattern in an instant and blazed through the proxies. He had found the information for the owner. The government databases were easy enough for him to hack. It was here he learned that Nikki was one of Raf's sisters. He remembered him being the one boy who attempted to cancel the Space Bridge syncing process from shortly after Megatron returned with Dark Energon.

Pulling away from the computers, he had all the information he needed. It was time to report to his master. Soundwave walked faster than normal to see him. He almost seemed eager to know what his next assignment would be. He was curious as to how Megatron would handle the situation.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

June packed up her bag and Ratchet sent her back to the hospital. Nikki sat on the couch quietly looking at her bandaged hand. The stinging had subsided but it still hurt. It had turned into one of those dull but annoying pains that pulsate harshly. Miko was off to the side leaning on the railing, sheepishly looking down at the floor. The room remained silent minus the sounds of Ratchet shuffling around to check on the other Autobots. Jack was pacing around slowly on the platform. He was growing nervous with no one talking.

"So uh… Who wants to play a video game?" he asked with an awkward smile.

He sat down on the couch next to Raf who was curled up in the middle of it close to his sister. Jack tuned on the game system and picked up the two controllers. He offered one to Nikki first. She just looked over at him blankly shaking her head. He tried to offer them to Raf who also declined. Sighing, he tossed the controllers back on the table unknowingly knocking off the Energon shard that still had been unnoticed. The room went quiet again. Bulkhead was the next to pipe up, "Is there a movie anyone wants to watch?" His checkup had already finished.

No one responded. Nikki wiggled her fingers to stop the pounding in her hand. She stood up and walked to the railing to watch the Bots. Ratchet was currently fixing Bumblebee who was hurt the most, just not so badly he needed immediate attention. She leaned on the railing lightly looking off in their direction but not actually paying attention. Bumblebee beeped upon noticing her. She did not respond. Ratchet finished and turned to Nikki. Ratchet finished and turned to Nikki. "Is there something you need?" he asked rhetorically agitated by the recent events.

She blinked a few times removing the glaze from her eyes. "Hm?"

Ratchet's face scrunched up with a hint of worry. He vented softly as his shoulders fell limp. He was not sure he wanted her to go home that night… For medical reasons of course.

Optimus stepped forward to lift the silence that had descended. "Nikki, are you going to be alright?" He was unsure she was taking the shock very well from meeting the Decepticons for the first time. "Y-yeah… I will. But…" She paused pursing her lips together in thought.

"Yes?"

"Would I be able… To stay here… Just for tonight?"

The Bots looked up in surprise at Optimus wondering what he would decree. Miko jumped out of her nervous skin excitedly. 'We could all stay the night! It'll be awesome!"

Jack stared at her oddly. "A slumber party at the Autobot base. That sounds realistic."

She scowled at him, "Ah, come on!"

"Oh no, Miko!" Bulkhead butted in. "You have school tomorrow. And what about your host parents?"

"You guys already drive us to school anyways. Besides, I can just tell them I have to stay with a friend for a group project. They're too scared of me to question it~"

"She has a point. At least on her first two statements," Ratchet replied shifting his eyes nervously. Arcee looked at him in disbelief while Nikki almost smiled because of him.

Optimus raised a servo to quiet the group down. Raf was already not talking wondering what had gotten into his sister. "If it would give you peace of mind for everyone to remain here, Nikki, then you may."

Nikki nodded, and Miko jumped up victoriously. She stuck her tongue out at Bulkhead starting a round of fun bickering. Nikki plopped back down on the couch smiling softly. "_Now_ who wants to play a game?"

Raf laughed and grabbed the controllers. He handed one to Nikki. He went to offer the other one to Jack who had just gotten on the phone with his mother. He kept the controller for himself and loaded a racing game onto the console. Jack stood up hastily and walked away from the game noise.

Wincing slightly, Nikki gripped the game controller and started the game. Raf bumped into her while leaning like it would help him make the turn better. She giggled and nudged him away, inadvertently causing her own car to wipe out. Losing the race, she huffed playfully as Jack sat back down. He cleared his throat and tried quietly to say, "My mother will be joining us after her shift."

Miko spun around on her heels hearing Jack over her picking on Bulkhead. "What?" She stomped over to him. "It was supposed to be just us!"

Nikki opened her mouth to say, "No. Technically, you invited yourself," but forced her jaws closed.

Jack raised his hands defensively, "She wants to make sure her newest patient is O.K.!"

Before Miko could speak anymore, Optimus ended the argument. "If June feels it necessary to watch over Nikki, then it may be a good idea to allow it." Not only that but he had a bad feeling about Soundwave meeting Nikki. He would not discuss it around the humans. It was later that evening when he would mention it to Ratchet who hadn't even thought of that but would agree with his friend.

Miko pouted and went back to her spot by the railing. Bulkhead grinned and poked her in the back, making fun of her minor defeat. Nikki smiled thinking that things were going back to normal.


	9. Chapter 9

4

Chapter 9

The next morning, all of the humans were fast asleep. Bulkhead was sitting down against the platform with Miko curled up on his foot. June was stretched out on the couch, breathing peacefully. Jack sat in a wooden chair, his head tilted back with his mouth wide open, drooling ever so slightly. Raf had his head in Nikki's lap as she slouched with her back pressed against the railing. Optimus and Ratchet stepped into the room speaking in low voices. The last two Autobots were off on a scouting mission.

Ratchet vented, knowing they would be late to school and work if they kept this up. Staying up late watching 80s horror films was not the best idea. He clapped his servos together loudly. "Come on. Recharge is over.

The sleepers stirred and opened their eyes groggily. That didn't last long. A buzzer went off on the computer, startling everyone. Even Bulkhead made a peep noise.

"Prime! We have a problem!" Fowler's photo flashed onto the screen.

"What is the situation, Agent Fowler?" Optimus replied.

"Just turn on the news for now. I'll be there in a few."

June snatched up the remote and flipped to the local station.

"Reports are coming in about the destruction of an apartment building in Jasper. Sometime in the night, this building crumbled to the ground. Local bystanders claim a military drone reached out with glowing tubes into some of the homes before shooting at its weak foundation."

Nikki shot forward, gawking at the screen. Everyone was silent.

"Investigators are on the scene searching for the dead and injured. Some of the residents remain unaccounted for."

Fowler dashed out of the elevator and heard part of the report. "This isn't good, Prime. How did the 'Cons find out?" His arms were folded across his chest, his face as serious as ever.

Ratchet stood behind Optimus so Fowler wouldn't see his icy stare towards Nikki who slumped in front of the TV, eyes wide with disbelief. He knew what had happened. Optimus had a similar feeling. "This is probably Soundwave's doing."

"Oh? And what tipped you off?" Fowler asked and pointed at the TV. Almost like a response, a news reporter chimed in, "Here are cell phone snapshots of the military drone that destroyed the complex as claimed by witnesses. The government has learned of this situation but has no explanation at the moment."

Optimus shifted and looked to the overnighters. "I highly suggest that you all remain here after your daily duties. If Soundwave discovered one of your homes, he can certainly find the rest."

They all stared at each other worriedly, almost as though they were afraid to even step outside. Miko was the only one who was happy about this arrangement. She fist pumped with her back turned towards everyone, smiling ecstatically.

"Prime are you sure it's a good idea to let them leave the base?"

"Agent Fowler, I do not believe the Decepticons will attack Jasper during the day. They are incognito just as we are. They know it would attract too much attention."

"Too much attention? Did you not just see the news!"

"The human population still does not know of our existence–"

The TV turned to static during the report. Text flashed on. "We Are Experiencing Technical Difficulties."

Fowler's cell phone buzzed and he answered it instantly. "… What… How is that even possible?" He snarled and hung up. "Great."

By this time, Nikki was leaning on the railing, listening intently. "What happened?"

"The broadcasts. New recordings. Photos. Videos. Everything regarding the incident has been tampered with. All of it vanished."

Nikki looked up at Optimus. "… Do you think he…?"

"Soundwave is erasing his tracks," he nodded. "Though sloppy, it takes the focus off of him while sending us a message."

Ratchet stepped forward cautiously. "What are we supposed to do about this?"

Optimus shook his helm. "The same as before: Protect the humans and stop the Decepticons."

Soundwave entered a cave amongst the cliffs miles away from civilization. In one of his tendrils, he held Nikki's roommate. She had screamed and passed out upon being ripped from her home and lifted high into the sky. He beeped and his visor flashed a few times. He already hacked into several media systems and wiped their information away. He spent around half an hour standing around in silence as he went through government databases. He was too busy to notice the girl's eyelids drift open and her brush her black hair from her face.

She looked around calmly for a moment before jerking her head about wildly. Her panicking did not help her. She took sight of the prongs that kept her from running off. She followed the tube attached to them and saw him. She screeched, forcing him to pay attention to her. He lifted her close to his faceplate. "Silence–!" Megatron's recorded voice echoes through the cave.

Tears streamed down her face. "Please. Please don't kill me!"

The grip around her waist tightened. She could feel her ribs poking up against her lungs. She yelped in pain. Soundwave replayed the file. The girl's lips quivered as she almost cried out again. She clenched her jaw, knowing he would just squeeze her stupid. He loosened his grip a tad bit. He finished the government file raid. Gently swinging her about unintentionally, he slid to the cave opening. His faceplate screen flashed again.

"What is this nonsense?" Ratchet stared at the monitor.

Nikki was on the computer platform with Raf in pursuit. "What is it?"

Ratchet flinched and whipped around to her. "Nothing! Just junk mail."

She stared at him for a moment. "Liar."

"Excuse me!"

"What does it say?"

"It is something you should not worry about." Optimus stepped in between the two of them, focusing on the screen. He nodded to Ratchet who closed out the message.

Bulkhead waddled up. "So what's the word, Boss?"

"Ratchet, call back Arcee and Bumblebee. We'll need them to mine the new Energon field."

The medic complied and caught a glance of Nikki's folded arms and the scowl etched into her face.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

_Author's Note: Things, they are going to happen. ._._

* * *

><p>The Ground Bridge powered up with the Autobots ready for actions. Agent Fowler stood by the computer, waiting for them to drive through. Even Ratchet was leaving.<p>

"But why? This is only a mining mission, right?" Nikki stared at them seriously.

Bumblebee and Arcee were already in vehicle mode. Bulkhead nervously rubbed the back of his helm, unwilling to make eye contact.

"The Energon field size is unknown but the readings show high levels," Optimus said.

"It is likely to cover most of the cave system. The more Energon, the higher chance for Decepticons," Ratchet jumped in quickly.

"And? What happens if you get injured? How will you do your job as the medic – the only medic here?" Nikki's lips puffed out some and her brow furrowed.

"I am only there to provide better and immediate medical response." He waved his servo, ending the subject, and transformed into his ambulance form.

Nikki grimaced as Optimus gave Fowler the instructions regarding their return.

* * *

><p>"Find her and bring her here," Megatron's mono-quality voice rang and bounced off the cave walls. Soundwave swung the girl in front of him, her limbs swinging uncontrollably, as a bargaining chip.<p>

"There will be no trade." Optimus stared gravely at him, seemingly unaffected by the girl's tearful eyes.

Soundwave pulled her back behind him as his other tendrils spread around him. The Autobots transformed their weapons, ready to battle. Ratchet whispered to Optimus, almost hissing, "Shouldn't we reconsider this? She could be hurt?" He knew Nikki would never forgive them for it.

"Soundwave is not easily fooled. A half-formulated plant will not work."

"You mean like this one?" Ratchet snapped back. "Humans shouldn't have to suffer for our war, right?"

Optimus stood straight, turning his cannon back into a servo. "We need time for negotiations."

Soundwave nodded and backed away slowly. The Ground Bridge lit up behind the Autobots. It disappeared a moment later with them gone.

Raf and the others rand up to them, their eyes wide with panic. "Where's Nikki?"

Ratchet stepped forward and waved a servo towards the children. "She was here when we left!"

"Well, she's not here now!" Jack added in with a raised but calm voice. "We can't find her."

The Autobots looked to each other and Ratchet grabbed the Ground Bridge lever. They ran back into the cave with their weapons drawn. All they found were the remnants of another Ground Bridge's ethereal glow fading away.

* * *

><p>Nikki clung to the prongs of one of Soundwave's tendrils. They wrapped around her waist tightly but with all of the swinging from his walking, she was not about to trust it. She leaned forward to see her roommate still struggling, her tear-stained face whipping around frantically. When she finally caught Nikki's gaze, she stared back pleadingly as if she could actually help her. Nikki shook her head. Her roommate's quiet whimper echoed off the dark metal walls within the Nemesis.<p>

Soundwave halted. He brought the pathetic girl to his blank faceplate. She cringed and leaned as far away as she could. What was only a few seconds felt like hours. He shifted his tendril back and continued forward. Nikki saw her friend's head hang low.

They reached a doorway that whooshed apart. It was the command center of the Nemesis. Vehicons waited restlessly in the lower level while a few typed away on the computers up ahead. A large, metallic figure towered over behind them. Soundwave stepped to the middle of the bridge that separated the lower level. The figure turned to face them with glowing red eyes. He looked between the two humans Soundwave held silently before him. He snarled disgusted at the black-haired girl who started to cry again. He turned to Nikki. He stared down at her as if sizing her up. "_You_. You are the one."

Nikki went coldly pale as Soundwave nodded. The figure scowled at her. She stared back at him, finding herself unable to blink. He turned to one of the Vehicons and pointed. "You! Take that pathetic insect and dispose of it." He gestured towards Nikki's roommate.

The girl began to panic. As the tendril holding her slithered passed Nikki, she reached out for her. Nikki desperately held her hands out to her. Their fingers brushed each other and the girl's fate was transferred to a Vehicon. She struggled and screamed for Nikki who could only twist her body unnaturally to her friend carried out of the room.

"As for you." The figure glared at Nikki. "Do you know who I am?" He began pacing side-to-side, holding his servos behind his back.

She shook her head in a way that looked more like a shiver.

"Hmph. Megatron. No doubt the Autobots have said a thing or two."

Nikki nodded.

"Now before you are punished, answer me. Optimus does not play dirty. Did you act on your own?"

She couldn't lie. They would scale an assault on them. She swallowed hard while nodding, sure of what would come next.

Megatron grinned hideously. "In that case, killing you now would be a blessing."

She watched him, surprised.

"First, you will assist Soundwave in putting our systems back online and fully functioning." He stopped pacing. "Second, you will help him upgrade our digital defenses."

She could not begin to imagine why he would command this. She was no match for Soundwave. Why did he need her help?

"The third punishment will be revealed later."

* * *

><p>The Autobots trudged back into the base. Raf ran to the edge of the platform. "Well?"<p>

Optimus shook his helm. "She was not there." He tilted his faceplate. "Agent Fowler, we—"

"Need me to track her? Can do." Fowler hopped to the nearest computer and placed a call to his superiors on his phone. "This is Agent Fowler calling for a request…Tracking Nikki Esquivel's cell phone…N-no. She went for a walk, yeah, and got lost in the desert…Really…Patch it to the Autobot base." He clicked the phone, ending the call.

"You know, I could have done that, right?" Raf looked up at him.

"Nrgh…It's not in my protocol to go to a kid for signal tracking."

Raf folded his arms grimly as Jack stepped between them. "How long will it be before we get anything?"

"Ten minutes, tops."

So they stood around waiting. Miko leaned on a rail in the back near Bulkhead. She would look at anyone. She had finally realized that if it had not been for her, none of this would have happened. No one was having fun. No one smiled.

* * *

><p>The computer beeped with incoming data. Ratchet was at a computer now and accepted it. The satellite feed produced the needed coordinates. They were almost the same as the previous set.<p>

The Autobots returned to the cave once again with weapons armed and ready. The sight that lay before them was paralyzing. Ratchet and Optimus were the only ones able to bring themselves forward. Ratchet shook his head. She was not alive. A blast from a Decepticon weapon made sure of that. Optimus kneeled down for a closer look. Nikki's phone rested atop black hair that was sticky with a slowly expanding red pool.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The Autobots came back through the Ground Bridge with hanging heads. Fowler swung around at their speedy return. "Well?"

Ratchet just shook his helm. Arcee, Bumblebee and Bulkhead dispersed. A moment later, Optimus found his words. "Her cell phone was there. She was not."

"Then…they knew we would try tracking her."

"That and they also left us a warning."

"Don't tell me it was a note. 'We have her. Blah, blah, blah. Ransom. Blah.'" Fowler said with a hint of snarkiness.

Optimus motioned to the Ground Bridge. "You had better look for yourself."

Fowler shot Optimus a confused look and went down the stairs slowly. He had always been weary of the Bridge. Lights flashed and he disappeared. Moments later, he returned with a hand on his shaking head. "I need to make a call. Close up the Bridge."

Ratchet complied as Fowler made his way to the elevator. Raf stopped him halfway. "Is she…?"

"Wh-wha? N-no, no! Your sister is still alive, and we will find her." Fowler smiled sympathetically at Raf who returned a hopeful one.

Once he left, the human children turned to their mechanical guardians. June stepped towards Optimus and Ratchet with her hands on her hips. "What now? What are we going to do to fix this?"

* * *

><p>Soundwave placed Nikki on his shoulder and nearly glided down the halls to his workspace. She was not dumb enough to make an escape attempt. Nikki held her wrapped hand. The blood pulsed through it harshly. Soundwave had knocked her hand when he stole her phone and gave it to Knockout who had orders from Megatron.<p>

They reached Soundwave's station. He placed Nikki on the large, illuminated keypad, and then picked up a data pad. She looked up and watched him through the transparent material. Cybertronian symbols scrolled up on it as he hit different areas of the glass. Suddenly, the symbols changed. Were they now in English?

Soundwave set the data pad down in front of her, pointing to it. It was too big for her to pick up as he did, so she sat down and leaned over the pad to read. Code was missing, jumbled up, misspelled. It was either because it was lost in translation or something she caused. It was more likely the latter. Intuitively, she tapped the bottom of the screen and a keyboard appeared. Now she could work.

She worked for hours, fixing this segment of code. Sitting, kneeling, standing. Whatever it took to finish and go home. Standing up for the last time, she glanced up at Soundwave and opened her mouth only to be interrupted by Knockout. He strode in and tapped on the back of Nikki's head. "So how's our resident inset doing~?"

Knockout smiled in a sarcastic but charming manner when she glared at him. He moved to Soundwave's side. "Megatron ordered that I review the formula I used on your face plate; Make sure it holds up over long periods."

Soundwave nodded once. With a hiss and a click, he pulled it off and handed it to Knockout who walked back to the Medical Bay with it. Nikki stared silently and Soundwave's formerly handsome face.

It was like Knockout's, long and slender. His optics were narrower and did not glow as bright red as the other Decepticons. They were calmer and seemed softer. He stared blankly at the screen the lit up the scratches and scars in the once smooth metal. _So many… Is that why he wears a mask all the time?_ Nikki wondered.

Soundwave's optics shifted down upon her. She cringed and pointed to the data pad. His helm turned and he stared straight in her green eyes before lifting up the pad to examine it. He nodded once before closing it out and opening another coding packet.

Knockout waltzed back in with the faceplate. "Everything checks out." Before Soundwave could take it back, Knockout folded his arms and leaned his weight onto one pede, looking a bit sassy. "You know, I could just fix those scars. Then, you won't need _this_." He held up the faceplate, smirking.

Soundwave's expression did not change. He did not even look at him. He set the data pad back in front of Nikki. _More coding…Joy…_ She watched as he snatched his faceplate away from Knockout, replacing it over his damaged face. Knockout took a step back out of caution. He looks between Soundwave and Nikki, who is still staring. She takes notice and jumps back to her work, hoping that at least Soundwave did not catch her. Knockout merely frowned and huffed out of the room.

* * *

><p>Raf curled up on the couch, watching TV. He blankly sat there. Jack had tried to get him to play video games or race his RC car. Nothing. He was not in the mood for anything.<p>

Miko leaned on Bulkhead's foot, texting and playing old phone games as long as it kept her mind busy. Jack was wandering about the base. His mother had left for work already. Optimus and Ratchet were at the computers surveying Arcee and Bumblebee's scouting mission to find any kind of clue on Nikki's whereabouts. Ratchet had given them the coordinates on the Nemesis' last known location. There was no sign of it.

"Ratchet," Arcee's voice sounded off. "There's nothing here."

"Keep scanning! Expand the search radius!"

Bulkhead joined in, "They've gone over a fifty mile radius. If they said there is nothing, then there's nothing!"

Ratchet slammed his fist down but before he could yell, Optimus stopped him. "We are activating the Ground Bridge. Return to base."

Bumblebee beeped in confirmation.

The comm-link disconnected. Ratchet turned a fiery stare at Optimus. "There has to be some—"

"I know you are worried, old friend, but we must stay clear minded." Optimus put a servo on Ratchet's shoulder. "It is the only way we will find her."

Ratchet's faceplate softened but it quickly changed back to fury. He spun around on his heels, throwing Optimus' servo off, and stalked away. Raf was vaguely aware of this. He just sighed and looked down at the floor.

His focus sharpened. There was something glowing faintly just under the couch. He reached down and felt around. Whatever it was had small and somewhat sharp features. Gently, he took hold of it and brought it up to eye level. He stared hard and closely. It was a sliver of Energon.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

A tendril swept out and slammed Nikki into the wall. A throbbing pain shot down from her head all the way down her spine. "I'm sorry!" she cried out.

Soundwave held her datapad in another tendril. Nikki had been working for almost twenty-four hours now. She was exhausted, but apparently that did not excuse the few mistakes she made in the last set of assigned code.

"Please!" Tears welled up in her eyes.

He squished her into the wall more, his blank faceplate staring at her intensely. She cringed even more. _I don't want to die… Not like this!_

Soundwave swung her back gently to the panel she sat on before, not giving her back the datapad. She looked up at him meekly, wondering what his next move was going to be. He held her gaze silently before lifting up a servo and softly pushing her to lie down.

She watched him with wide eyes. _Does he…want me to go to sleep?_ She did not fuss once she was lying on her side. It felt nice to relax like that. Within moments, her lack of sleep overcame her.

* * *

><p>Ratchet tapped his pede on the ground. He had sent a transmission out to WheelJack and had not received a reply. Raf was asleep on the couch. While everyone else had gone home to rest, Raf stayed. He wanted to be there when they found Nikki. In his hand, he held the Energon shard he had found. For some reason, he felt better with it near.<p>

A quick beep startled Raf awake. Ratchet made a b-line to the computer. "This is Ratchet."

"Yo, Doc."

"It's about time you responded!"

"Whoa! Calm down, Doc! What's with the urgency?"

Raf sat there, fiddling with the shard.

"You didn't even listen to the transmission?" Ratchet's servos were up in the air. "One of our human allies has been kidnapped!"

"And this is Autobot concern beca—"

"—By the Decepticons."

Silence.

"What? Are they trying to use it has bait?"

Ratchet shook his helm. "We are not sure yet."

"…Send over a Ground Bridge?"

He was anxiously waiting for that response. He pulled the lever to the bridge and WheelJack dissolved through. He waved to Raf. "Sup?"

Raf shrugged and kept fidgeting.

Ratchet proceeded to explain what had happened. "We need extra scouts. Have you seen the Nemesis recently?"

WheelJack shook his helm. "No. But if the Boss Bot is that concerned, I'll help ya out."

Ratchet nodded. "Thank you. Optimus and the others went out searching. They will be regrouping here soon."

WheelJack began to pace. "Soon" meant nothing at this point. He took notice of Raf and leaned his faceplate over the railing. "Whatcha got there?"

Raf jumped. "I-It's…" He held out the shard in his palm. "I found it earlier…"

Ratchet made his way over for a look. "Where in the Allspark did you find that?"

"Mmm… By the couch."

"What? Are you feeding humans Energon now?" WheelJack joked.

"Wait…this…" Ratchet held out his servo.

Raf placed it in the medic's palm.

Ratchet studied it closely. "This was…the shard that cut her…"

* * *

><p>Nikki's hand burned when she woke up to the feeling of a breeze. Her eyes opened and she saw the walls moving. <em>What in the…<em> She sat up groggily. She nearly jumped out of her skin, finding she was sitting on Soundwave's shoulder.

Realizing her awakened state, a tendril wrapped its prongs around her and pulled her off. They reached an automatic door the whizzed open. A short distance away, Megatron stood in front of gigantic screens with his back to the two of them. Nikki held her bandaged hand, which made a crunching noise. Though startled by this discovery, she was still more worried about Megatron.

"Soundwave, report."

He handed Megatron a datapad.

"…Good. Now fix the navigation and flight."

Soundwave answered with one solid nod.

* * *

><p>"What are you going on about, Doc?"<p>

Ratchet waved a servo, shrugging WheelJack off. He brought the shard to his workstation. Raf looked to WheelJack who glanced back and raised his servos meaning, "I don't know." Frowning, the tiny human went to the other side of the platform. "Ratchet, what are you doing?"

Waving them off again, he replied, "I'm working." He put the shard into a test tube and began melting it down. He mumbled to himself, "This is insane but it might just work."

Soundwave brought Nikki back to the workroom and placed on the panel she was at before, setting the datapad in front of her. He pointed to it. Nikki resituated herself and reviewed the code. _Oh boy… This is starting to get out of my league… _She glanced up at Soundwave who was staring down at her. Sighing, she starts typing. _What am I going to do if I hit something I don't know?_

The lanky, voiceless robot turned to his own work. He was going through the navigation system. That required so much data that a mere human could not possibly fathom it. Every now and then, he glanced over at Nikki. Her pace was much slower than it had been. After an hour, he suspected she might be stalling in some futile hope that the Autobots might triumphantly appear and save her. He paused. She looked…frustrated. She was running a hand through her hand and clenching it. Then, she typed a few more lines of code. As she reviewed the next lines, she pulled her low ponytail over her shoulder, twirling it into knots. Soundwave stared down. She would only write a tiny amount of code and then replace it while sighing heavily.

He picked up the datapad. Nikki spun around and cringed. _What did I do wrong?_ Her eyes widened, for fear that he might throw her into a wall again. Her back still hurt if she moved too quickly. Soundwave tapped the screen rapidly before placing it back. She checked it and scrolled down. Everything she had just worked on had been fixed in some slight way. At the bottom was a relatively large set of code but it was much easier than what she had been doing. She looked up at Soundwave confused. He had already turned away to finish his own project.

* * *

><p>Raf and WheelJack sat around, impatiently waiting for Ratchet to say something. Optimus called for a Ground bridge about half an hour in, to which Ratchet switched on in a huff. The Autobots rolled in and transformed. Bulkhead, normally excited to see his old buddy, only said, "Hey, Jackie," and bumped knuckles with him. Ratchet walked away before shutting off the bridge. Optimus looked to Arcee who was the closest to the lever now. She shrugged and pulled it, the glowing of the portal dissipating.<p>

"Ratchet?" Optimus walked up behind the normally grumpy medic.

He waved his servo. "Just a moment. Almost have it…"

Optimus glanced to Raf and WheelJack who had no answers for him.

"Ha-hah!" Ratchet yelped triumphantly.

The monitor in front of him bleeped and ran through the command code. It then displayed a map of Earth and began scanning.

WheelJack vented harshly, "You gonna tell us now, Doc?"

Ratchet spun around with a grin on his faceplate. "I have, theoretically, found Nikki!"


End file.
